Given its proximity to the body’s largest organ — our skin — underwear is one of the most essential items in our wardrobes and should be organic and non-toxic. Thankfully, there are plenty of brands making pesticide and chemical-free undies that we can all find comfort in.
This guide features three of our favorite eco-friendly and organic underwear brands: Knickey, Thunderpants, and Mary Young!
1. Knickey
Considering each and every element of their supply chain, Knickey makes quality organic underwear following impressively high standards for ethics and sustainability. Made from ultra-soft organic cotton certified by Global Organic Textile Standard, the highest standard in the world for organic fibers, Knickey ensures all of their underwear is both earth-friendly and safe to produce and wear.
Knickey’s cotton is grown on an organic farm in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India. Once harvested the cotton is milled by an organic ginner in Erode, Tamil Nadu before being sent to Tirupur, Tamil Nadu, India to be spun into yarn.
In addition to sourcing quality fabric, Knickey works with a Fair Trade-certified factory in Tirupur, Tamil Nadu, India to ensure safe and healthy working conditions and fair wages for each individual in their supply chain. This factory then weaves and knits the organic cotton yarn into fabric and then cut and sewn into Knickey’s underwear in various cuts and styles. All of the dyes and finishes on Knickey’s underwear are OEKO-TEX Certified materials, ensuring they are free from toxins, carcinogens, and harmful chemicals.
After the final details are completed, Knickey’s underwear is sent to New York, where it’s packaged and shipped right to your door.
Sizes Available: XXS-XXXL
Styles Available: Brief, Hipster, Bikini, Thong
Values: Fair Trade, Sustainable, Vegan, Women-Owned
SHOP KNICKEY
2. Thunderpants
We’re not exaggerating when we say that we’re pretty sure Thunderpants makes the world’s most comfortable pair of underwear. The owner of Thunderpants USA, Celeste Sipes, has been perfecting the Thunderpants design and materials for years!
Thunderpants’ wedgie-proof, ultra-comfy underwear is made from organic Fair Trade certified cotton yarn that is grown in New Zealand without any synthetic chemicals, fertilizers, or pesticides. This pure, soft cotton is then milled and dyed in Melbourne, Australia without any AZO dyes, formaldehyde, or chlorine before being sent to Hillsboro, Oregon. It’s in Hillsboro where each pair of Thunderpants’ underwear is responsibly cut and sewn in a women-owned, low waste factory.
And those eye-catching, vibrant prints you spot are designed by local artists in Portland, Oregon that Thunderpants partners with!
Beyond eco-friendly fibers, Thunderpants believes in a sustainable, responsible way of doing business. As a family-run business, Thunderpants prioritizes work-life balance and believes in slow, steady growth, rather than rapid expansion at the expense of their values, health, or the environment.
Sizes Available: S – 3XL
Styles Available: Brief, Hipster, Bikini, Thong
Values: Fair Trade, Sustainable, Vegan, Women-Owned
SHOP THUNDERPANTS
3. Mary Young
Founded in 2014 by designer Mary Young with the mission to create minimal, comfortable lingerie, Mary Young lives up to its mission today, celebrating the natural beauty of every woman’s body by creating underwear and bras without underwire, padding, or unnecessary reshaping features.
Mary Young’s small-batch underwear, lingerie, and bodysuits are also super soft, made from Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) and OEKO-TEX-certified bamboo rayon crafted out of responsibly harvested organic bamboo. The women-owned sustainable underwear brand doesn’t use chlorine bleach or any dyes that release amine compounds and ensures each piece is composed of good for you healthy fabric.
Believing in sustainable and ethical practices from start to finish, Mary Young produces all of their underwear in Montreal, Canada where all makers have safe working conditions and earn living wages.
Sizes Available: XS – XL
Styles Available: Brief, Hipster, Bikini, Thong
Values: Fair Trade, Sustainable, Vegan, Women-Owned
